A Day with Parker
by Awahili
Summary: A collection of oneshots featuring the cutest kid in existence...Parker Booth! Current chapter: Bones keeps Parker for a weekend and the boy continuously interrupts her sleep. Will she ever get some sleep?
1. The Arcade

Okay, this started out as a scene in a fic I was writing that spawned into its own. So I decided to start a series because Parker is just too cute to pass by. All of these will be one-shots and will contain at least Parker, and any/all/none of the others.

This one has all the squints plus Booth, and I don't know if this place is real or not, but there are places like it around here. We just call them Chuck E. Cheese.

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_October 2007…_

Fridays at the Jeffersonian were usually fairly uneventful, but Dr. Temperance Brennan still protested when Special Agent Seeley Booth showed up at four-thirty to pull his partner away from the lab.

"It's way too early to leave, Booth, and it would be unethical," she tried appealing to his work ethic, but it seemed to have taken a vacation as weekend fever set in.

"Oh come on, Bones! It's only half an hour and I'm sure Cam won't mind," he answered. "I have to go pick Parker up from Rebecca's, then we're all going out for dinner." He raised his voice a little to include Angela and the others. When she shot a surprised look his way, Booth winked at the artist.

"Oh yeah, everyone's invited. I let Parker pick the restaurant so we're headed to Comet's at six." Booth was grinning from ear to ear, and Brennan couldn't tell if it was residual from the aforementioned fever or the anticipation of seeing his son.

"So you're kidnapping all of us?" Angela said coyly.

"Oh no, you'll have to kidnap yourselves. But I expect all of my squints out of this lab no later than five." He pointed his finger seriously at them and even Hodgins had to smile. "Come on, Bones." She sighed, doling out quick instructions for Zach to finish up for the night before Booth pulled her out of the lab. Brennan tried to confront Cam, but she merely waved goodbye as she strode past them to the platform to inform the team they were done for the evening. As they neared her car, Booth laid a hand on her shoulder and stepped a little closer.

"Parker and I will be at your place in an hour, Bones, so be ready." She nodded and waved as he drove off to pick up his son. She quickly showered and changed into casual attire and, exactly one hour later, there a light knocking on her door and the sound of a little boy giggling. She opened the door smiling as Parker barreled through and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Tempe! Daddy says we're going to Comet's! And Dr. Hodgins and Zach and Angela are gonna be there!" She laughed at the boy's enthusiasm as Booth stood in the doorway dressed in jeans and a faded _Strokes_ t-shirt under his leather jacket.

"Hello, Parker, Booth," she greeted. She grabbed her jacket from the rack and her keys from the table and followed them out. The entire drive there found Brennan trying to keep up with the latest escapades of Parker and his kindergarten class.

"And then Kevin said I was stupid and I thought about shoving him but Daddy always says I shouldn't solve problems with violins." Booth laughed from the seat next to her and looked at his son in the rearview mirror.

"Viol_ence_, Parker. And that was very good of you. So what did you do?"

"I told Mrs. Roster that he was being mean and he had time-out for half of recess. But he's still being a meanie," Parker said finally, his face screwed up in a pout. Brennan twisted around in her seat and looked at the near-six-year old.

"You know, Parker, kids picked on me too when I was young because I was so smart." Parker's eyes widened bigger than saucers at her admission.

"Nuh uh!" he protested. "No one can pick on you, Daddy says so. You beat up the bad guys. Daddy how come it's okay for Tempe to use violins?" Brennan's eyes shifted to Booth as if to say "Yeah, how come?" Booth chuckled a little nervously, but adopted a fatherly tone that wouldn't be questioned.

"Because, Parker, Bones and I deal with people who are worse than mean. They could hurt others if they're not stopped and we do that however we have to. Sometimes Bones uses _violence_ as a way to protect people." Before Parker could continue his line of inquiry, they pulled up to the flashy building. The three other squints were already waiting outside, and as soon as they were close enough and Booth let go of his hand Parker ran over to hug them. Zach was eyeing the building with trepidation, but Angela and Hodgins had far-away looks in their eyes.

"It's just like the old arcades we used to go to," Angela said. "I haven't been to one of these places since I was a kid." Hodgins looked like he agreed with her, but Zach was still shifting nervously from side to side. Angela slipped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed gently.

"Come on, Zach-o," she encouraged, "You're older brothers aren't here to mess with you. Just have fun. First round of skee ball is on me." He relaxed a little and followed the group through the door.

As soon as they stepped in they were assaulted with rings, whistles, shouts, and screaming as they took in the atmosphere. Parker looked like he was using every ounce of his five year old self-control to maintain a squeal as the greeter came up to them. Booth took over for the small group and soon they were seated at a round table near the back and given one hundred twenty tokens and six cups for the soda machine. Booth gave everybody twenty-four coins (dividing his twenty up between the other five) and took his son off to start the games. Brennan trailed along with her handful of coins, not really sure what she should be doing. She followed Booth as he led Parker to a section that seemed to be geared more for the younger crowd.

She watched as he helped his son deposit two coins into the slot and the small basketball game started. Booth cheered Parker on as the boy shot ball after ball, making a little less than half of them. She smiled and approached them, narrowly avoiding being bowled over by a pack of exuberant children. When Parker's time was up she watched as he collected the spew of tickets that issued from the machine and he counted them all on his own. Booth turned and smiled at Brennan, letting her know he'd known she was there. He beckoned her over and she shoved her hands in her pockets, complete with coins.

"I'm not really sure what to do here," she admitted, looking around at all the flashing lights and whirring machines. Booth shrugged and grinned as Parker tried to pull him in another direction. Brennan followed as he answered.

"Well, Bones, this place really is for kids, but adults can have fun too," he said, motioning over her shoulder. She turned around and saw her three colleagues laughing and playing skee ball. She smiled as she remembered times as a young kid when she would tag along with Russ and his friends to the local arcade. Russ always protested about it but he'd always be sure to give her a fair share of the tokens so she could play games too.

"Bones?" Booth voice broke her from her reverie and she turned her attention away from where Angela was jumping up and down in victory.

"Hmm?" she said, meeting his concerned eyes. "Oh, I'm alright, Booth," she said, waving him away. Her other arm was immediately grasped and she laughed as Parker pulled her over to where the others were.

"Skee ball!" he yelled, pulling out a couple of coins. "Come on, Tempe, I bet you the tickets that I can beat you!"

"No betting, Parker," Booth's voice warned and Parker nodded sheepishly.

"Yes, Daddy," he responded, putting his coins into one of the machines. Brennan pulled two coins and put them into the slot next to Parker's. The balls released and slid down as the machine came to life. Parker grabbed the first one and nearly threw it up the ramp, earning 100 points.

"You're supposed to roll them, buddy," Booth laughed, miming the move so Parker could see, then looked at Brennan for help. She grabbed her first ball and demonstrated, succeeding in getting 50 points. She and Parker continued, and she eventually fell into a rhythm. She saw that she was pulling ahead of the boy and aimed for one of the low ones, making a disappointed sound as it went exactly where she wanted it to go.

"I won!" Parker said, pointing at their scores. Both machines spit out tickets, but Brennan readily handed hers over to the boy. At his questioning look, she shrugged.

"You won," was all she told him, and he folded them up and put them in his pocket with the others. Her eyes sought out a familiar face and she had to laugh as she saw Angela and Zach on the Whack-a-Mole game, each with a large colored mallet bopping away at the miniature rodents popping up and down. Hodgins was nowhere in sight, but she was sure he was on some sort of shooting or racing game.

Twenty minutes later, their pizza was delivered and they all reunited at the table to consolidate their tickets and coins. Brennan had almost all her coins left, which she promised to Parker if he finished at least two slices of pizza. Angela and Zach had collected enough tickets between them to get a toy version of a Tesla coil for the lab. Hodgins had, unsurprisingly, played all his coins on machines that didn't give out tickets. Parker had enough already for a yo-yo, but he hoped that with the extra coins he'd gotten from Tempe he'd be able to get something bigger.

"You finished, bub?" Booth asked as Parker stuffed the last of his second slice into his mouth. He nodded and smiled, his face covered in sauce and cheese. Chuckling, Booth wetted a napkin and wiped the mess from his son's face.

"Tempe!" the boy shouted after he'd swallowed, "I'm done! Come on, let's go!" He pulled her from the table to the skee ball machines. "You take half and I'll take half and we'll get enough tickets!"

Ten minutes later they returned with their arms laden in tickets and, after counting, they realized that Parker had enough to get a large stuffed animal. But the boy shook his head firmly.

"No, I want the lion," he said, pointing above the man's head to the smaller animal. The prize wasn't even half his tickets and the man shook his head but grabbed the lion anyway, handing it over the counter to the boy. The toy was about half the size of him, and he hugged it to his small body fiercely. He then turned and held it out to Brennan.

"Here you go, Tempe," he said matter-of-factly, "Now he can protect you from the bad guys!" Angela couldn't contain her sigh and even Hodgins and Zach had to smile at the boy's generosity. Booth laid a hand on his son's head and smiled proudly.

"That's very nice of you Parker," he praised. "You still have a lot of tickets left too," he said, turning the attention away from his partner, who was now clutching the lion a little awkwardly.

"I want a yo-yo, and a Tootsie Roll, and a decoder ring, and a sticky spider that I can throw at the wall, and one of those light-up tops!" Parker rambled and the man behind the counter had to scramble to keep up with the order. When all was said and done the man had to discreetly add four tickets to Parker's total, but waved it off when Booth mouthed "thank you" over his son's head. As the motley crew departed the arcade/pizza joint, Booth noticed that Brennan was unusually quiet. He was pleased to see that the normally reserved Zach Addy had come out of his shell a little and was still excited from playing games with his co-workers. Parker was munching away on his Tootsie Roll holding Angela's hand while they walked through the parking lot, so Booth sidled over to his partner.

"You okay, Bones?" he asked, nudging her a little. She nodded, her hands still clutching the stuffed animal Parker had given her. He walked in silence with her, letting her mull over her thoughts.

Parker was asleep five minutes into the ride home, and Booth kept his voice low to keep the boy under. "You sure you're okay, Bones?" he asked again, his concern for her evident in his voice. She was quiet for a few moments before she took a deep breath. Having gotten good at reading her over the years, he knew she was about to delve into her past and she suddenly had his undivided attention.

"When we were kids, Russ and I used to go to this arcade near our house. He was fifteen and I was only eleven, but he let me tag along anyway. He'd always make sure I had a fair share of the coins and he looked out for me. At the end of every trip I put my tickets in this little plastic zipper purse. His friends would always make fun of me. But I told them I was saving them for a really cool prize – this really big stuffed purple dog that was worth an absurdly large amount of tickets." Booth smiled at her apparently happy memory, but it faltered when her tone dropped and she tried to keep her voice from catching in her throat.

"One day we were walking home and some kids from his school cornered us. Russ pushed me away from them toward the house, told me to run home. He didn't mean to, but that zipper purse with all my hard-earned tickets skittered out of my hands when he pushed me and dropped down a sewer. I ran home crying and my dad –" her voice hitched, but she cleared it quickly and continued. "He ran out and saved Russ from the boys. But my tickets were gone. I knew it wasn't Russ' fault – he was just trying to protect me – but I was so mad at him anyway. The next day when I got home from school that stupid purple dog was on my bed. Apparently Russ' had taken all of his allowance money that he'd been saving and spent it at the arcade to get enough tickets for the dog." She was quiet for a moment, and Booth wondered if he should say anything in response. He was saved when she continued in a softer tone.

"I don't know what happened to that dog. It was lost after my parents disappeared and Russ took off," she said sadly. "I hope Parker doesn't think I'm upset at him or anything," she added quickly, realizing she hadn't actually thanked him.

"Don't worry about it," Booth said, his tone equally as soft. "I'm sure he knows you're grateful." She turned in her seat to watch the slumbering boy.

"He really is a great kid, Booth," she said, her hands clutching the lion tightly. Booth couldn't turn, but his eyes sought his son's form in the rearview mirror, and Brennan saw a smile grace his features that she didn't get to see very often - the proud father.

"Yeah, he really is."

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Okay, I already have an idea for the next one. What do you think...keep going? Let me know what you thought of this one too while you're at it ;)


	2. Field Trip

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I guess I'll keep this up for as long as inspiration strikes me. Oh, and T-minus 6 hours and counting till the next episode!_

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**Field Trip**

_April 2009…_

"Class, remember to stay with your buddy at all times inside the museum." Mrs. Russell's second grade class filed off the school bus in front of the Jeffersonian museum. Parker Booth squinted his eyes against the late morning sunlight, eager to get inside. He barely registered Kyle Sanderson coming up next to him and shoving him lightly.

"Hey Parker! Come on or we'll get stuck in the back of the line," he said, grabbing his buddy's hand and pulling the boy along.

"Yeah, maybe Tempe will be here," Parker said matter-of-factly.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Kyle teased.

"No!" Parker argued immediately. "She works here and she knows everything!"

"Parker's got a girlfriend!" Kyle shouted, causing most of the other boys to turn around and grin. But before they could take up the chant, Mrs. Russell clapped her hands together.

"Alright class, two lines! Get next to your buddy quickly!" Parker scrambled to comply, choosing to ignore Kyle's jabs. The met their guide for the day, a young museum intern who was just as eager as the group of seven-year olds.

Mrs. Russell smiled as her students took in the sights of the Jeffersonian museum. They were looking around at all the exhibits and smiling, and she was happy to provide them with this educational experience. But one boy was looking around as if searching for something, and she moved over.

"Parker, what's wrong?" she asked him. "Why aren't you paying attention to the guide?"

"Tempe works here, I just can't remember where," he told her definitively, and she smiled.

"Well, let's continue with the tour and maybe we'll run into her," she told him. The smile he gave her softened her heart and she ran her hand through his hair affectionately before leading him back to the group. Seconds later, she had to move away to break up a scuffle, leaving Parker with Kyle and his group of friends.

"So where's your girlfriend?" Kyle said.

"Tempe's not my girlfriend! She's a scientist and she works here," Parker shot back.

"You know what, I think you're a liar," one of the boys said. "You don't know anyone here."

"Do too!" Parker shouted this time, clenching his fists.

"Parker's a liar!" one of the other kids chanted, and it was soon taken up by the group. Parker shoved one of them away, fighting off tears. Before the teacher could intervene Parker took off at a run, tears now streaming down his face. The calls after him were unheeded as he darted between crowds and through different exhibits. He found a small alcove next to the prehistoric room and crouched down, scrubbing the tears off of his face fiercely. After a few moments, his breathing evened out and he looked around. He stood up and fear settled over him as he realized he had no idea where he was. He felt the tears coming back but he took a deep breath and pushed them back.

"Are you lost?" a voice said from behind him and he turned quickly. His father had always told him if he ever got lost in a public place that he shouldn't talk to strangers. But this man was wearing a white policeman's uniform, so Parker knew he was okay to talk to.

"I got lost," he told the security guard as the man walked over to him. "I want Tempe!" His fists clenched again, and the man smiled.

"I'm not sure who Tempe is," the man said. Parker looked at the man like he was crazy.

"You don't know Dr. Brennan?" Parker said incredulously. Recognition lit the man's face and he actually laughed.

"Oh yes, I know Dr. Brennan," he said. "But let's go find your mom and dad."

"No! I want Tempe!"

"Your parents are probably very worried about – "

"They're at work," Parker said quickly. "I'm here on a field trip."

"Oh, you're with Briar Stone Elementary, then?" Parker nodded. "Let's go find your teacher," the guard moved forward as if to lead Parker away, but he screamed and darted back, tears spilling down his face once more.

"No!" The guard sighed heavily, rolling his eyes upward. _I did not sign on for babysitting_, he thought to himself.

"Fine we'll go see Dr. Brennan," he told the seven-year old. _Then lab security can deal with him_. He laid a hand on the boy's shoulder and began to lead him away from the main halls of the museum.

Temperance Brennan stretched in her seat as she looked up from her computer screen. A quick glance through her window showed her Zach was still hard at work identifying a limbo case. It had been a little over two years since he'd gotten his doctorate and she was really proud of the leaps he'd made in their field. There were requests from all over the country for his services, but he was very adamant about remaining at the Jeffersonian. Checking the clock she saw that she still had two hours to lunch; two hours until Booth came to pick her up. She couldn't stop the smile that lit up her face as she thought about her partner. _Boyfriend_, she amended mentally, though the word was still strange after almost a year.

"Dr. Brennan?" a voice came from just outside her office and she turned to see a security guard standing in her doorway.

"Yes," she answered standing.

"This young man got separated from his field trip group and demanded to see you." He ushered a blonde head from behind him and Brennan's professional façade melted into a soft smile.

"Parker?" she said, holding out a hand. His face was streaked with tears and his eyes were red, but when he saw her he smiled and wiped his face.

"Tempe," he said, moving into her arms. "I got lost and I couldn't find anyone and I was scared," he told her. She stroked his hair and held him against her as she looked up.

"Thank you, I'll take it from here. Could you locate his group and tell them where he is?"

"Yes Ma'am," the guard said, offering her a small salute as he left. Brennan led the boy over to her couch and sat down next to him.

"What happened, Parker? Why did you leave your group?" she questioned. He just shrugged a shoulder, his eyes glued to her coffee table. "There must have been some reason," she said simply, hoping he would talk to her. He wiped one cheek with the back of his hand and sniffed.

"Kyle called me a liar," he said meekly. Brennan fought the urge to laugh, having learned early on in her interactions with Parker that young children often took small things very seriously.

"And that upset you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Course," Parker returned. "Cause I'm not," he finished adamantly.

"Well, what did Kyle think you lied about?"

"I said that I knew you and he said I didn't. Then some of his friends called me a liar. I shoved Jason and ran. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have shoved him."

"No harm done, then," she forgave him quickly. "How about this: once that guard finds your group, I'll take you back myself. Then Kyle can't call you a liar anymore." The grin that light up Parker's face made Brennan's heart swell. She placed a hand on his head lovingly and smiled at him. "Anyone ever tell you that you have your daddy's smile?" she teased. It was often a topic around the household whenever Parker visited Booth. She could barely resist when Booth did it, but when he added Parker into the mix she found it very impossible to deny them anything.

"Yup!" he giggled, leaning into her loving touch. "I love you Tempe," he whispered.

"I love you too, Parker," she whispered back.

"Ma'am, I found them," the guard said, holding a walkie talkie. "They're in the Colonial exhibit now. You want me to take him?"

"No thanks," she said pulling Parker up to stand beside her. "I'll take him myself." The guard nodded and left to his rounds, leaving Brennan escorting a now bounding seven year old. As they passed Angela's office however, Parker stopped.

"Tempe, can we _please_ say hi to Angela? Please?" She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.

"Don't even bother with the smile, Parker. Of course you can." She gestured toward the doors as Parker let out a whoop. Angela whirled around at her desk, her face split in a grin.

"Well hey there buddy," she said, wrapping the boy in a hug. "What are you doing here?" She directed the question more at Brennan.

"He got separated from his field trip group," she explained. "I'm taking him back now. Come on, Parker."

"Well, thanks for saying hello," she said to Parker.

"Can't we stay just a few more minutes?" Parker begged, turning his big brown eyes on his father's girlfriend. Unfortunately, this particular woman had spent nearly five years building up an immunity and she merely shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said light-heartedly. "Come on, I bet your teacher is getting worried about you. You don't want her to do that do you?"

"No," Parker answered quickly before bidding the artist goodbye. He reached up and grabbed Brennan's hand as they exited the lab, earning a few curious stares from the guards.

On their way to the main museum, Parker chatted about anything and everything. Brennan usually found the ramblings of children to be caterwauling and annoying, but Parker had seemed to worm his way into her heart much like his father. She listened to his tales, laughing occasionally and faking indignant at the appropriate places. As they ascended the main staircase, Brennan took them through a closed exhibit as a shortcut, though a small part of her wanted to allow Parker the chance to see something his classmates could not. She heard the guide speaking in the next room, though his tone was clearly one of frustration. As they entered the room Mrs. Russell let out a satisfied sigh and rushed over.

"Thank goodness, Parker. When I saw you were gone I informed the guards immediately. They, however, proceeded to inform _me_ that you went to see a friend. Is this her?" She looked at Brennan curiously, though there was no malice in her tone. From further inside the exhibit the guide gasped and ushered the children over.

"Kids, you're very, very lucky today. This is one of the world's best forensic anthropologists, Doctor Temperance Brennan. She works here at the Jeffersonian," he said. Brennan shifted on her feet a little awkwardly, but Parker squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Hello," she said to them, happy to see that a small group of boys in the back were eyeing Parker in shock. "I was just returning Parker here. He usually comes to visit when he's here with his dad."

"Parker you get to come here a lot?" one of the girls in the front asked. Parker shrugged and stepped away from Brennan.

"Sometimes. My dad and Dr. Brennan work together to solve crimes, and sometimes they let me help out." This sent up a chorus of astonished murmurs, and Parker was pulled into the crowd of kids. Brennan did not correct him (his "helping out" usually consisted of him sitting in her office drawing pictures) and she waved to them all as the guide started ushering them to the next exhibit. Parker broke from the pack one more time, running over to hug her quickly.

"Bye Tempe, I'll see you this weekend." She squeezed his shoulders in return and watched him trot off after his classmates. The boys in the back had pulled them into their small huddle, all with smiles on their faces. Parker was grinning proudly, unable to resist throwing her one more wave as they disappeared around the corner.

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That kid just gets cuter and cuter. Who can't wait for tonight's episode? raises hand


	3. Science Fair

Okay, I'm fairly certain that Parker should be exempt from any science fair due to the fact that he has an unfair advantage. But this was just too good to pass up. And I do like Hodgins, so here it is. Parker's Buggy Science Fair Project. As always, please read and review. What can I say, I'm a sucker for future fics (mainly because six year olds are hard to write sometimes).

BTW, his "Merry Christmas Bones!" is probably the cutest thing I think I've ever seen.

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**Science Fair ** noun_, a competition in which grade school students create projects and experiments to test a hypothesis – in accordance with set rules and guidelines – related to the science and technology fields of study._

_January 2010..._

Jack Hodgins stared down at the eager eight year old, his mind sifting over countless memories of his own experiences in the school systems and the many experiments he had tested and won with.

"Come on, please Dr. Hodgins?" Parker Booth begged. "I need a bug guy," he tried to use the charm, but at eight years old he still needed a little practice.

"What's your hypothesis?" Hodgins caved, unable to resist a good experiment and unwilling to deny a child an educational experience. Parker grinned triumphantly and pulled a notebook from his bag.

"Well we were learning about flatworms in health class and how bad they are for animals," Parker began. "And our teacher said they can grow back almost their entire body!"

"That's right. Planarians are a type of platyhelminthe that live in fresh water. Actually a lot of species of helminthes have regenerative capabilities."

"Right, well I wanted to see if I could speed up their regen–, regenra–,"

"Regeneration," Hodgins sounded out slowly.

"Regeneration," Parker repeated. "Yeah, by using magnets!"

"Magnets huh? Well it certainly sounds interesting."

"So will you help? Please?"

"Parker why are you bugging Hodgins? No pun intended, man," Booth said as he swiped his card and ascended the steps to the platform.

"It's okay, Booth," Hodgins stepped in quickly. "He was just asking for some help on his science fair project. Have you heard about it? He's quite the little scientist."

"Daddy, Dr. Hodgins is gonna help me with my science fair!"

"Parker I don't think –"

"No, it's okay Booth. I'd love to help you, Parker," he said, turning to the boy. "But I'm just going to help with the adult stuff, okay. You have to do all the work."

"I know," Parker said as if Hodgins had said something completely obvious. "Dad, I asked Mom if I could stay with you for a couple of weeks until the experiment was over. She said it was okay as long as it was okay with you."

"She did, huh?" Booth said. "Well it's alright with me. Let me call her and set it up while you and Hodgins do your thing. Then we have to get going." He pulled his cell from his pocket while the two scientists began devising their plan.

"Well, first things first," Hodgins said. "The key to any experiment is control. It will do no good to just stick worms under magnets if you can't measure its affect."

"So we need a worm with magnets and a worm without?" Parker asked.

"Good! But the more subjects per group the more accurate your results, so it'll probably be better if we have, say, five worms per group."

"So we'll cut five in half and stick them under a magnet, and then cut five in half and leave them alone?"

"Exactly," Hodgins praised. "Now comes the fun part."

"What's that?" Parker asked, his eyes alight with anticipation.

"We get to go catch flatworms. Field work, my young assistant."

"Cool! Dad, Dr. Hodgins said I'm his assistant! We're going to collect bugs!"

"That's great Parker, just a sec," came Booth's voice. "Yeah sure Rebecca, we'll be by this evening to get his things. He's really excited about this experiment. You too, bye." He strolled back over to his now beaming son. "What's going on over here? And what's this I hear about field work?"

"Well, we have to go get samples, Booth," Hodgins said simply. "I know of a good place. Are you and Dr. Brennan done with all the paperwork?"

"Yeah, we just finished," he answered. "And I was coming to collect my son so we could spend the day together, but it looks like he found something else to do," he said teasingly, patting Parker on the shoulder.

"Come on Dad, can we _please_ go collect worms? It could be just like you and Bones going out to work!"

"What's going on out here?" All three men whirled at the voice of Brennan, who climbed the steps looking a little wary at the gathering.

"Dr. Hodgins is going to help me with my science fair project and I get to stay with Dad for two whole weeks and we're going out into the field to get worms and Dr. Hodgins said I was his assistant!" She lifted her eyebrows at the eight-year old's rambling, almost unable to keep up, before turning her gaze upon her entomologist.

"Well," she said, "You can't be Hodgins' assistant," she said. Parker's face fell and Booth was about to berate his partner for her callousness when she began walking toward a cabinet located on the far corner of the platform. She swung it open and pulled out a small blue lab coat. "Not without one of these. Here, try it on," she said tossing it to Parker.

"Awesome!" He scrambled to pull the frock on over his clothes and he buttoned it up quickly.

"Great, another squint," Booth mumbled, only half meaning it.

"You shouldn't discourage his scientific curiosity," Brennan admonished.

"Come on Dad!" Parker yelled, now fully decked out and carrying a small kit from Hodgins' desk.

"God help me," he muttered. "See you later, Bones."

"Bye Bones!" Parker waved over his shoulder as the trio exited. Hodgins directed Booth through a series of roads leading out of the city until they came to a driveway with a huge gate.

"Whoa," Parker breathed. "What is this place, Dad? Is it a castle?"

"Nah," Hodgins answered for him, "It's my home. Just a second." He hopped out and punched a code and a thumbprint into a keypad. A voice rang over the intercom.

"Can I help you?"

"Hey Marlin, it's Jack," Hodgins answered.

"Very good, sir," the voice answered and Hodgins scrambled back to the passenger side of the SUV as the gate swung open.

"Over there," Hodgins said, pointing toward the side of the estate. Parker was looking out at the grounds, taking in the expanse of land that stretched out behind the house.

"This place is huge," Booth commented.

"Yeah well," Hodgins shrugged. "Come on, this pond has the best assortment of all kinds of creatures." Booth parked the SUV and they all filed out.

"You mind if I look around?" Booth asked Hodgins. The other man looked wary for a moment before realizing Booth wouldn't be snooping for anything and he shrugged.

"Sure, just don't get too close to the garden. Bonnie gets really protective." At their confused expressions, he laughed. "She's one of the groundskeepers." Booth nodded and began to wander as Hodgins led Parker over to the edge of the pond.

"You see these weeds?" he asked the boy. "Well grab that pan." Parker scrambled over and picked up the metal pan. "Hold it here," he instructed and Parker put the pan under the weeds. Hodgins gave the plants a few good shakes and several small gooey creatures fell into the metal tray.

"Cool!" Parker said, looking at the squirming planarian. "How many do we need?"

"Oh, I think fifteen or so will do it," Hodgins said, shaking the next plant. A few more dropped down and Parker began counting.

"We only need four more then," he said.

"Alright, here we go," he said, giving the last plant a good shake. Five more worms dropped down and Parker slammed the lid shut.

"Got em!" he shouted. "Look at them," he said. Hodgins stared at the worms, his mind immediately supplying about ten separate facts on the invertebrates. He shook his head, realizing they would all be lost on the eight year old, and called for Booth. The man came jogging back and Parker shoved the pan in his father's face.

"Look Dad!"

"That's great, Parker," Booth said, eyeing the writhing masses with trepidation. "Just make sure that lid's on tight. We don't want them oozing all over my SUV."

"Okay," he replied, setting the pan on the seat beside him as he buckled in. The drive back was in relative silence, though Parker asked a few questions about the upcoming experiment.

"Where are we gonna get a good magnet?" Parker asked finally as they entered the lab. Hodgins just smiled knowingly at the boy and detoured toward Angela's office. A soft melody floated through the open doors and Parker left the pan of worms with Booth as he ran over to give the artist a hug.

"Angela, Dr. Hodgins said I was his assistant and we did field work! It was excellent! And we got a lot of worms," he said, gesturing toward the door where Booth stood with the tray.

"Well that's great, I guess. What's with the invasion?" she turned her attention to Hodgins.

"Well," he said as he perched himself on the edge of her desk. "Parker here needs a really strong magnet. I was wondering if you'd go down to Professor McKenna and ask to borrow his neodymium magnet."

"Why me?" she asked wryly.

"Well, because I'm just a lab rat," he shot back amiably. "And besides, you are way cuter than I am."

"True story," Booth commented, holding the pan out at arm's length.

"Fine," she relented, staring at Parker's pleading face. "Just don't turn him loose on me," she said, gesturing to the boy. "That boy's smile is lethal." She pecked Hodgins on the cheek as she left, earning her a sound of disgust from Parker.

The next hour was spent with Parker collecting the Petri dishes and dividing the worms up into three groups. He had started to name them, but Hodgins had stepped in and reasoned that Parker would have a harder time bisecting them if they were named. So rationality prevailed once again the in the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal lab and Parker just labeled the worms according to which dish they were going into.

"Dr. Hodgins, 4C won't get off the pan!" he whined, his gloved fingers prying desperately at the very determined flatworm.

"Here," Hodgins said, walking over with a small plastic spatula. "Sometimes the simplest things are the best." He pried the small creature off the metal pan and into the third dish.

"There's one left over," Parker noted, eyeing the lone worm left in the pan.

"Him you can name," Hodgins laughed, handing Parker a separate container. "Here, use the left over pond water we collected." Parker divided up the pond water into five dishes and then dumped the remaining into his new pet's home.

"You are not keeping that thing," Booth warned.

"Oh come on, Booth," Hodgins fought back a smile. "It's not like its high maintenance." The agent tried to hide a disgusted grimace and only partially succeeded.

"Alright assistant, what's our first step?" Parker thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, it won't help to know how much they've grown if we don't know how long they are in the first place," he reasoned, earning him smiles and praise. "But how do we tell which is which?"

"The best we can do is get an average length for each group," Hodgins said. "So we'll take these calipers and measure each worm, then average each group together. When we cut them, I'll do it so it's exactly half of each worm - that's called bisection. That way you can track the average length of each dish."

"Okay!" Parker said, handing Hodgins the first dish and grabbing a pad of paper. He wrote down each length Hodgins called out and added them up. After remembering to halve the first two measurements due to the bisection Booth helped him with the long division, but eventually Parker had the average length recorded for each dish.

"Alright, I'm done! Can we cut them in half now?" Parker asked. Booth sidled up next to the entomologist and cleared his throat.

"You're going to help him with the bisections right? I'm not too comfortable with him handling sharp scalpels."

"Don't worry, G-man, I've got it handled. Ready Parker?" He laid a fresh pan and Parker brought the first dish over. He dumped the five worms into the pan and Hodgins grabbed one. "Alright, I'll bisect it across the posterior/anterior axis, then you grab the two halves and shove them in separate containers." Parker nodded, grabbing two spare dishes with pond water.

"Ready Dr. Hodgins!" Parker exclaimed, adjusting his lab coat's collar. Hodgins bisected the first one and Parker scooped up each half quickly, depositing them into separate containers. They continued on like that till all five worms were divided up by halves, front half in one dish, bottom half in the other.

"Okay, now for the control set," Hodgins said, motioning for the second group. They did the same with that group and finally they had five dishes set out, only one containing whole worms. Angela had managed to weasel a neodymium magnet from Professor McKenna (after promising a chat over coffee) and Parker carefully placed it underneath the metal sheet they had procured from the research department. Parker placed the first group of petri dishes directly over the magnet, the second on a separate un-magnetized tray along with the dish containing the whole worms.

"Alright, you'll need to keep these in a place you'll remember to check every day. Use this," Hodgins said, handing the boy a small set of calipers, "to measure the length of each worm every day."

"And average them together?" Hodgins nodded. "Cool. Thanks Dr. Hodgins!" Booth was forced to carry the un-magnetized tray and "Flatso the Worm" while Parker handled the tray with the magnet underneath.

"Remember to record them every day!" Hodgins yelled after them. Parker paused and whispered something to his dad. Booth nodded and juggled the extra tray as Parker bounded up the stairs again, this time setting off the alarm. He wrapped his arms around Hodgins tightly.

"Thanks for letting me be your assistant, Dr. Hodgins," Parker said. Hodgins smiled and patted the boy on the back.

"Anytime, Parker. Maybe someday you'll get your own badge just like your old man."

"Really? That would be so awesome! The kids at school will be so jealous!" Parker was giddy as he leapt down the stairs and back to his father. Booth shot Hodgins a thank you as his son took the magnetized tray and led him out the door, all the time ranting about how he was sure to win first place and wondering what flatworms ate for dinner.


	4. The First Day

This one's kind of short, but it had to be written. Something to break up the future fics. More to come soon! Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed.

Okay, so I figured if Parker was four during Christmas of Season One, that means he was five for the following Christmas. Taking into account that Booth responded to Bones' horse pun with "I have a five year old son" during the beginning of Season Three, we can assume that Parker turned six between October and Christmas. So I took a liberty and just put him in November.

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_November 2001…_

The man who'd brought him into the world labeled him a healthy boy. Adorable was the word his nurse had used. His maternal grandparents had called him an angel. His mother, though completely exhausted, had held him gently and cooed at her baby boy, her mouth forming the words beautiful and tiny silently. But for Seeley Booth, no word described the small bundle in his arms better than a miracle.

Parker Christopher Stinson Booth – it was a mouthful but it was perfect for the newest member of a rather unconventional family. Seeley looked over at his – well, now she was the mother of his child – and smiled.

"Thank you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her forehead. It was that moment little Parker chose to open his eyes and gaze at his father. Seeley sucked in a breath, feeling it catch in his chest. His eyes were bright blue, and for a split second Seeley hoped that they would eventually fade into his dark hue. The blonde mop on his head shifted as Parker moved his head, yawning the tiniest yawn Seeley had ever seen. Reaching a pinky down, Seeley moved the blankets away from the boy's hands.

"He looks like you," Rebecca said quietly.

"Let's hope so," Seeley returned jokingly. "He's got your nose." He moved his pinky to brush the small pink button in the middle of his son's face. Parker reached up and wrapped his tiny hand around his father's pinky, squeezing with as much might as his little six pounds four ounces could manage.

"Hey bub," Seeley crooned. "I'm your daddy." A grin split his face, though it seemed like that's all he'd been doing for the past two hours. He leaned in a little closer as the door opened and the nurse walked in.

"Sir, Ms. Stinson needs her rest and we need to get little Parker settled in."

"Can I take him?" Seeley asked, suddenly unwilling to ever let his little miracle out of his hands.

"Just as far as the nursery," the nurse agreed. He turned back to Rebecca and let her say goodbye to their son before kissing her forehead again.

"Thank you," he repeated, pouring every ounce of his sincerity into the words. He followed the nurse down the hall, glaring at anyone who dared get too close. As they walked, Seeley began talking to his son as if he understood.

"Look Parker, I know sometimes it may seem like I'm not around a lot. But I promise you that I will always be here when you need me, and I will never leave you alone if it's in my power. Your mom and I, well, things didn't quite work out like I planned and maybe that's for the best. But that doesn't mean either of us love you any less. You are the most blessed boy in the world and I wouldn't trade you for anything. We'll work something out, your mom and me." His tone was soft but his words were serious, and though he was barely two hours old, Parker looked into his father's eyes with the wisdom of a man. He squeezed the man's pinky again and Seeley took that as a sign of confirmation that things were going to be okay.

"Sir?" the nurse asked, holding her arms out. Seeley carefully transferred the bundle in a maneuver that would soon become second nature to him. He caressed his son's head once more before watching the woman take Parker into the nursery. He was re-swaddled and laid into a bassinet surrounded by other infants. Seeley watched from the glass, his only company an older couple waving and making faces at a baby girl on the far side. The man stopped and walked over; gazing down at the boy Seeley couldn't take his eyes off of.

"First born?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," Seeley whispered without taking his eyes off his son.

"He's quite a little lad. Doris come here," he beckoned his wife over. "This young thing is his first."

"Oh, isn't he just the most adorable little thing? Stephen do you remember when Jason was born?"

"Of course I do, it was one of the best days of my life," the man agreed. Doris smiled politely and went back to cooing at her granddaughter. Stephen turned back to Seeley. "It was also one of the scariest," he admitted. Seeley nodded in agreement as his heart rate slowly began to rise as the realization sank in.

"I'm responsible for another human being," he breathed. "What if I –"

"Son, believe me when I tell you that you're not thinking anything any other man in your position hasn't thought before." Stephen clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "You will do the best you can, and that's all that little boy is ever going to need." Seeley nodded, whispering his thanks as he reached out and laid a hand on the glass. Stephen stepped away to let him have this moment with his son, moving back over to his wife and leading her away.

Parker opened his eyes and looked around, immediately finding the dark brown eyes of his father. Another yawn broke their contact and the infant closed his eyes once more. Seeley stood there for what seemed like hours watching his son sleep. Stephen was right; it didn't matter what Seeley had done with his life. Parker was his life now, and he'd be damned if he was going to mess it up. He and Rebecca would work something out, his career at the FBI was taking off, and he'd recently moved into a bigger apartment. As he watched his miracle sleep, Seeley suddenly felt like he could conquer the world. And it was feeling Seeley promised himself he'd feel every time he looked at his baby boy.


	5. Nabbed!

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. You guys rock. I'm currently working on a really long one for Christmas, so watch for that in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile...

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_February 2008…_

"I want Daddy!" Parker screamed again at the man in the driver's seat. And once again, the passenger turned around with a gun and snarled menacingly.

"I swear to God, kid, if you don't shut up your daddy will be getting you back in pieces!" Parker sniffled but wisely refrained from his shouting, instead turning his attention to the rolling scenery. He knew they were still in the city but it looked like they were leaving, and Parker had no idea which direction they were headed.

He hadn't meant to wander away from his mom, but the lights of the arcade at the mall distracted him. A man had come over and told him his mom was waiting for him just outside. Parker was about to ask the man for the safety word when he spotted the gun and the man told him to shut up or his mother would be killed. He cried the entire way out of the mall, but he hadn't made a sound.

"So what now?" the passenger asked.

"We're supposed to take him to the campsite," the driver responded. "I guess they'll take it from there. But they left clear instructions: do not hurt him, so put the gun away." The passenger clucked his tongue disappointedly but complied, and Parker had turned his attention to the conversation just in time. Upon hearing the man's last sentence his petulance returned full force.

"My dad's gonna find you," he told the men. "And he's gonna put you in jail. And Bones will kick your butt," he added for good measure.

"Shut up, kid!" they yelled together, but Parker was emboldened in the knowledge that they couldn't hurt him.

"Take me to my dad right now!" he screamed, thrashing in his restraints. "I want my dad!"

"Kid, I'm not screwing around," the driver warned, but Parker shook his head.

"I heard what you said, you can't hurt me. Where are we going?"

"Just shut up! Cecil, this ain't worth it," the driver shot to his counterpart.

"It's just a few more minutes of agony, Gary, then they can have him and we can have our half a mil," Cecil answered. Parker began crying loudly, both to let out his pent up emotions and to annoy his captors. Maybe they'd give in and take him to his daddy. Gary, however, had other ideas and switched on the radio to drown out the six year old's cries.

Parker settled down, remembering what his dad had talked to him about last year. He tried to look around as much as possible and find any signs of where he was going. As they turned down a dirt road, Parker saw an old faded sign that read "Timberview Campsite" turned over on the side of the road. He repeated the name to himself fifty times as the van bumped down the road. Gary pulled up behind a grove of trees where three men stood waiting. Cecil hopped out and yanked the side door open. After he'd unbuckled Parker he grabbed the boy's arm forcefully and pulled him to the ground.

"Alright, we got the kid," Gary told one of the newcomers. "Where's our money?" The man tossed him an envelope.

"There's a key there to a locker at Dulles Airport. Your half a million is waiting for you." Parker knew the man had an accent, but couldn't think of where he was from. He did sound a little like Mario from his Nintendo game, though. Cecil shoved Parker toward one of the larger men standing near the van as he joined Gary in their vehicle. Parker sniffed as they drove back the way they'd come. No one said anything to him, but the large man had a tight grip on his arm that was starting to hurt. He squirmed a little bit to try and loosen it, but the man just swatted the back of his head roughly and he stopped moving. After a few moments, "Mario" turned to the third man.

"Call our friend at the station, let him know that this young man's kidnappers were seen heading for the airport."

"Right boss," the wiry man responded, pulling a cell from his pocket.

"What about the kid?" Big Man said in a voice that reminded Parker of one of the characters from Harry Potter.

"Tie him up and throw him in the boat," the boss responded. "Once we receive word that local PD's have our friends in custody, we'll get out of here." Parker found himself lifted into the air and he started to kick and yell, biting down on the man's hand as it came to stifle his screams.

"Ouch! Little bugger bit me!" The boss stormed over and grabbed Parker's chin roughly, forcing the boy to look him in the eye.

"I gave those two buffoons orders not to hurt you, but I will not be so kind if you keep this up." Parker glared but couldn't keep the tears from rolling down his cheek as the large man bound his hands much too tightly behind his back with duct tape, then began wrapping his arms against his body. His feet were next and Parker couldn't do anything but cry as he was carted through the woods to a boat.

"You sit here and be good," the large man told him. "And don't even think about trying to fall over board. You'd drown before you reached shore. Not to mention the big fish that just love to eat small boys," he added as he walked away. Parker watched him walk away and looked around. His dad had taken him fishing last year over the summer and he'd loved it. Another tear spilled down his cheek as he thought about his dad, and how worried he and his mom probably were. He had to be strong and brave, just like his dad, because he knew that his dad would be coming for him very soon. He just had to be good and stay alive till then.

"Alright, let's go," he heard the voices getting closer and took a deep breath as they piled into the boat. The engine roared to life and the boss slipped a life jacket over his bound body, fastening it crudely as they sped off to the distant shore.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was being carried from the boat to a black car waiting by the dock.

He thought he heard sirens as they drove, but Parker had no way of making contact with the policeman. The boss laughed at his sad expression, which made Parker angry enough to try and kick the man next to him. This just earned him more rough treatment, and he begged for them to leave him alone and he was sorry he'd tried to hit the man.

As he was crammed into the backseat between the boss and the big man, Parker tried to find out where he was. But the dark tint of the windows and the swelling of one of his eyes where the man had cuffed him made it hard for him to see. The salt of his tears made the cut on his cheek sting, but he couldn't wipe it away so he ignored it.

As they continued to drive, Parker pretended to be asleep. But as he sat there he prayed for God to help his daddy find him and come get him and to put the bad guys away. He didn't want to be hurt anymore and he just wanted to go home with his mom and dad.

The car pulled into an upscale suburban neighborhood and Parker opened his eyes as they pulled into the garage of a two-story house. He was shuffled from the car and carried inside to a small room in the back. The big man tossed him onto the bed and told him to stay put, laughing at his own joke. Parker wriggled, trying to break free, but the duct tape was too strong. The TV in the next room came on and Parker heard the news reporting his kidnapping from the mall. Several booming laughs carried through the wall as Parker lay on the bed. Despite his nap on the boat, Parker felt exhaustion creeping up on him and he fell asleep on the bed, still bound rather tightly.

"Wake up!" a man kicked the mattress, jostling Parker from his nap. The light had diminished outside, but it wasn't quite dark outside yet. The man pulled a knife from his pocket and flicked it open menacingly. Parker's heart began beating faster as the man approached, crying and sending a prayer to God to save him now. But the man just leaned in with a wicked grin and lightly drew the knife across his cheek. It didn't break the skin, but Parker cringed at the cool metal. The man then flipped him over and cut his bonds loose before moving to his feet. Blood rushed back to his arms and hands and he felt the prickly sensation creeping over him. He shook them a little as his feet were freed and he looked at the man in confusion.

"Why are you setting me free?" he asked.

"Bathroom break," the man said, thumbing in the direction of the door. "But don't try nothing cause I have permission to kill you if you do." He brandished the knife threateningly and Parker nodded before preceding the man out of the door. He waited outside while Parker took care of business and took the boy back to his room. Parker was allowed to roam free in the room, but it was locked from the outside and the bars on the window blocked that exit.

He kicked the wall a couple of times before the man outside warned him to stop "or else." He walked the length of the room, looking for anything he could use, but couldn't find anything. He pulled a paperclip from his pocket and unbent it as he sat down in the far corner of the room. He carefully scratched his name into the paint on the wall, followed by his phone number. That way, if they moved him someone would see it and know he was here. Satisfied with his work he set about drawing on the walls with the small piece of metal. At first he doodled nothing, but eventually he'd concocted an entire fairy tale in his head about a prince who had been kidnapped from his kingdom and forced to work for an evil and ugly witch. Parker drew each character and named them, including the prince's loyal dog, Jake.

His fairy tale was interrupted by a loud bang outside and he jumped up, running over to the closet. He cowered down in the back, hoping that whatever was outside would stay there. There were a lot of voices, then several loud bangs that caused Parker to slap his hands over his ears. His door burst open and several men entered, but Parker couldn't make out what they were saying. He heard quick footsteps padding over to the closet, and he made himself as small as possible as the door wrenched open.

"Here!" the man called out, shouldering his weapon. Parker looked up at the black clad figure in fear. "Parker, I'm here to rescue you."

"No!" Parker shouted. This was wrong; his dad was supposed to come for him. The man knelt down and held out a hand.

"Parker, I need you to come with me. Your mom and dad are outside," he told the boy. Parker still looked doubtful and the man smiled. "I'll prove it. Your dad told me to tell you 'crocodile.'" Parker took a deep breath and nodded, taking the man's hand. He was lifted up again and shielded as the man half-ran out of the house. He was taken across the street to a waiting ambulance and he nearly leapt out of the man's arms as he spotted his mom and dad.

"Parker!" his mom swept him up in a hug and started apologizing, but Parker just clung to her tightly and murmured an apology of his own. He was only let go for a moment before his father's arms came around him and he was crushed against the man's chest.

"Thank God, Parker," his dad breathed, and Parker clung to the man like a lifeline. "Look at you," he said, carefully brushing his finger across the bruise on his cheek, and Parker saw his father's eyes were dark with emotion. "They didn't hurt you anywhere else, Parker?" He shook his head no and his dad hugged him tightly again.

"Sir, we need to check him out," one of the paramedics said.

"No! I want Daddy!" Parker cried, tightening his grip.

"He's fine," he heard his father reply. "Parker, they just need to make sure you're okay. I'll be right here, okay?" Parker sniffed and nodded, clinging to his father's hand as he stood in the back of the ambulance. Once he was declared "exhausted but healthy" his dad picked him up again and held him close. Police sirens flashed as cars pulled away with the uninjured captors, and paramedics wheeled one man out on a stretcher. Parker felt his dad tense up at the sight of the large man, but he continued walking to the SUV.

"Bones!" Parker greeted the driver of the vehicle with a big smile as the family piled into the back. He climbed over the seat and accepted a hug from her before his parents could buckle him into his booster chair.

"I'm glad you're okay, Parker," she said sincerely. "You are okay?" she asked quickly.

"Yep!" he grinned and allowed his father to pull him back over and buckle him in. His mom was sitting on his other side and she kissed his head again, letting a tear roll down her cheek. "It's okay, Mommy," Parker soothed. "I was really brave, just like Daddy."

"I bet you were," she smiled at him and wiped her face. "Brent's waiting at the house; we're still going to see Grandma."

"No!" Parker shouted, lunging for his father but restrained by the harness. "I want to stay with Daddy! Daddy I don't want to go!" he turned his frightened face to Seeley who looked helplessly at his ex.

"It's okay," she whispered. "Parker, it's okay if you want to stay at your dad's for the weekend."

"You and Brent are welcome," Seeley offered, knowing Rebecca would probably want to be near Parker for a while. But she once again proved why he'd fallen in love with her all those years ago as she shook her head and squared her shoulders.

"No," she said. "It's over and done, we have to move on. He'll be safe with you this weekend. Parker, would it be okay if I went to see Grandma without you?" Parker sniffled and nodded. His eyes drooped as the events of the day caught up with him and he barely heard his father say something about his mom not blaming herself for what happened. Parker knew he was partly to blame; he shouldn't have run off. But he'd tell them that after his nap. Just before he succumbed, his made-up fairy tale popped into his head again and his eyes snapped open.

"Dad, can I have a puppy named Jake?"

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Well, I thought we needed a break from the fluffiness, but as you can see my muse will not be denied. Let me know what you thought.


	6. The Zoo

Okay well I was going over some of my other fics and I got this idea from _ReadingRed's _review of my other story, _The Boy in the Cast_. So here it is, their day at the zoo. You don't have to have read that story to get this, but I would appreciate it lots if you read and reviewed it.

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"Alright Bones, we're here to fulfill our end of the bargain," Booth said as he lead his son into the Jeffersonian lab. He kept Parker a little behind him in case there was a skeleton on the table, but Brennan was not even on the platform. "Bones?" he called out again, walking toward her office. Faint music emanated through the open door and Booth pushed Parker ahead toward it. 

"Bones!" Parker said, breaking into a run as he saw her sitting at her desk. She whirled around and smiled at Parker, returning his hug only a little hesitantly. "We're going to the zoo! You're coming too, Daddy says so," Parker added seriously.

"Is that so?" she teased, looking up at Booth. "And what if I say no?" she said, not really meaning it. Booth just grinned wider.

"Have it your way. One kidnap coming up," he raised a finger into the air. She laughed and shut her screen off as she stood.

"No need, I'll come willingly."

"Yay!" Parker jumped around, careful not to bump his bright green cast against her desk. The doctor had been right in that Parker had very little discomfort from the greenstick fracture in his arm, and though it had only been a day he was very aware of just how much extra mass his forearm now had. She shut off the lab lights and said goodbye to the weekend security, who seemed a little shocked to see her leaving so early even on Saturday.

The drive to the National Zoo was filled with Parker's questions about different animals and both adults trying in vain to get him to wait until they were actually at the zoo. Despite the traffic, Booth managed to turn off Connecticut Avenue into Lot A and find a relatively close parking spot. Parker all but jumped out of the SUV, quickly grabbing Brennan's hand with his good arm as she stepped down onto the pavement. He was content to hold her hand the whole way to the entrance, much to Booth's amusement.

"Dad! Can we see the pandas? And the little tiger cubs? Oh, and the snake house is really cool!"

"Sure, Parker, we'll see it all. Just slow down okay?" He laughed at his son's enthusiasm but was happy to see that Brennan's step was a little lighter as they neared the zoo.

"So Bones, when was the last time you were here?" he inquired casually.

"Actually, I've never visited this particular zoo," she told him honestly, only a little hurt when his jaw dropped in disbelief.

"You've lived in DC for how long and you've never been to the zoo? Incredible Bones, just incredible." His tone was light but she could see his protective instinct kicking in. He would never pity her, but he felt a little sad that her life was so sheltered. He was determined to give her this, to allow her the experience, and Parker seemed just as keen.

"I've been here loads of times!" he claimed. "I'll be your guide." His idea took off and soon he was talking about films and where the different animals were from and how many the zoo had of each. Booth laid a hand on the exuberant boy's shoulder

"Parker, how about we wait till we see the animals, then you can tell Bones about them."

"Okay!"He returned happily. Brennan held up her other hand and shook her head.

"On one condition," she demanded. When she had both men's attention she continued. "No one calls me Bones," she said, aiming her remark more at Booth than his son.

"Fine _Temperance_, but no Booth either. Besides, there's two of us now and that's just confusing."

"Temp…Temp'rance?" Parker asked.

"Yes, that's my _name_."

"It's not Bones?" he asked innocently. "Daddy why do you call her something that's not her name?"

"It's a nickname, like when I call you Bub."

"But you can just call me Tempe," she told the boy. "It's easier." He grinned again as they walked through the gates toward the first exhibit.

"Cheetahs! Daddy look at them!" Parker moved over to gaze at the lithe felines prowling in their habitat. "What are those?" he asked, pointing to an odd looking deer-like creature.

"That's an oryx," Brennan supplied. "They're very common in Africa."

"They look funny," Parker exclaimed, wriggling through the crowd to get a closer look.

"Parker stay close," his father warned, and the boy came back.

"I wanna see the zebras, Daddy," Parker said, pointing to the far end of the enclosures. Booth grabbed Parker's hand and led him and Brennan through the crowd over to the zebras.

"Do you remember what sound the zebras made in the movie, Parker?" his dad asked.

"Yeah, they sounded funny, not really like horses are supposed to sound," Parker said. They continued on, gazing at the emus crowded together feeding, until they came upon a split in the trail. No one had bothered to grab a map on the way in, so Brennan shielded her eyes against the sun and looked down at Parker.

"Well, guide, which way?" she asked, and Parker studied the trails as if really pondering a serious question.

"Well, that way takes us to the elephants," he said, pointing to the left. "But the pandas are that way," he said, gesturing the other way. "And going straight will take us to the birds."

"We can wind our way back around to the elephants, bub," Booth said. "Let's go right and see the pandas." Parker nodded and led the adults down the little pretend road.

"This is quite a workout," Brennan said, noting the incline of their current path.

"It's called the Olmsted Walk. It goes through the whole zoo. It's tough sometimes but the builders wanted to keep as much of the original topography as possible." Booth recited what he'd learned from the Visitor's Center on his first visit with Parker several years ago.

"Pandas!" Parker proclaimed as they walked along Asia Trail. Brennan smiled as Parker stepped closer to get a look at the adult mating pair and their offspring. "See Tempe! We've got pandas and not every zoo does. It's cause we're the capitol." She nodded along, content with his explanation and reveling in the sight of the magnificent creatures. She had seen a few on her expeditions in China, but she had never been able to appreciate them before.

"Dad, can I have a panda?" Parker asked seriously. Booth chuckled and ruffled his son's hair.

"Let's start with something simple, like a fish. We can work our way up to the big stuff."

"Okay," he said, satisfied with the answer. "Tempe, you wanna see the otters? They're really cute and they can swim real good!"

"Really well," she corrected automatically, but shook her head. "Sure Park, lead on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the play area for the Asian small-clawed otters. Parker giggled as they played with balls and toys in the water and marveled at how they sliced through the water.

"I wish I could swim like that," he said.

"Well, otters and other amphibious mammals developed after thousands of years of evolution to adapt to life in the water," Brennan started, but Booth nudged her a little and she cleared her throat. "Yeah, that would be…cool," she shrugged. She heard Booth snicker behind her but chose to studiously ignore him as Parker led her off to the next animal's exhibit.

They saw the leopards lazing about in the sun before moving on to the Bird House. Parker watched in amazement as a large barn owl took to flight across the paths into a preset flying arena. Trainers set off different stations with beeps as the owl flew from one to the next gathering its treats.

"Can we go in the aviary?" Parker asked, but Brennan was eyeing it warily.

"Sure thing, come on B – I mean Tempe," he corrected quickly. She froze, watching all the little birds flying around the large cage as families fed them from birdseed-covered sticks.

"It seems so unsanitary," she said, "They're not caged or anything. What if one, you know…" Booth actually laughed and pulled her along.

"It'll be alright," he told her. "Come on, Parker loves to feed the birds." She allowed them to drag her along and she even held the stick out as one bird landed on her wrist and nibbled a bit on it. Parker giggled as one perched in his hair, but Booth quickly shooed it away. By the end Brennan was smiling and had even petted a rather large cockatoo.

"Where to next?" she asked, brushing herself off as they exited the outdoor flying house.

"Well, we go back up here and go around to the elephants before moving on," Booth said. Parker tried to hide his yawn, but failed and Booth tapped his shoulder. "Come on," he said, holding out his arms. Parker grinned and jumped into his father's arms, resting his head on the man's shoulder.

"Should we go?" Brennan asked. "He looks exhausted."

"No!" Parker protested. "Daddy, you can carry me just till the elephants okay?"

"Okay," Booth chuckled, moving the boy to sit on his shoulders. As promised, he set the boy down as they passed the elephants, not staying too long due to the smell. Booth's nose wrinkled and he cast a sidelong glance at Brennan, who seemed unaffected. _After corpses, I guess elephants are nothing_¸ he reasoned.

"Hippos! Look Tempe!" Parker dragged her over as the large one surfaced and yawned, baring his large blunt teeth for the passing visitors.

"Guess we're in Africa now?" she asked, and Booth nodded.

"I always liked lions," she said.

"Of course you do," Booth teased, and she shot him a withering glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just like you to like the one animal that has the females doing all the work and the males sleeping twenty hours a day." Feeling just a little childish (probably thanks to her youthful companion) Brennan stuck her tongue out at him briefly before giggling. His eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he shook his head.

"Bones, did you just giggle?" he asked.

"Daddy can we get some dots?" Parker interjected, tearing Booth's gaze from his partner's now-blushing face.

"Sure thing buddy, find the nearest vendor." He lifted Parker up and the boy began scanning the area.

"There!" he pointed behind them and Booth started walking.

"What are dots?" Brennan questioned, and Booth stopped cold.

"Parker, tell me that Tempe did not just ask that question," he spoke to his son in mock seriousness.

"She did," he answered, his tone equally serious. Brennan huffed and put her hands on her hips.

"I think it's a viable question seeing as how I don't know what they are," she pointed out. Booth just shook his head and continued walking, only stopping to set his son down in front of the kiosk. He fished a bill from his pocket and requested three orders of dots. He popped one into his mouth as he handed a sack to Brennan. She tried one and smiled as the confection melted in her mouth.

"It's ice cream," she stated. "I guess they flash freeze it, probably in liquid nitrogen, to get them so small and cold." Booth just rolled his eyes and gestured for them to continue walking as they ate. Parker munched happily on his snack, getting some of the color on his cheeks.

They trekked through Beaver Valley and Lemur Island before finally reaching the Great Cats exhibit. Brennan gathered their trash and tossed it before returning to their sides to look at the prowling lions. Further down the trail the tigers were attracting a lot of attention. Parker pulled them into the crowd to watch as the big cats played as if they were common housecats, but Brennan was drawn back to watch the lions. She had gone to Africa a few times in her career, but she'd never had the time to take a safari. Now she'd relish the opportunity to observe these great predators in their natural habitat. Booth ushered Parker over to her side and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Parker's probably going to crash soon," he said. "We should start making our way back." She nodded and followed him, trying to take in everything she could on her first visit. They decided not to go into the reptile house but Parker insisted on seeing the apes.

"Tempe look, that baby is funny," he said, pointing to a small chimpanzee that was bouncing around like he was on a trampoline. She opened her mouth to spout a fact about evolution before remembering that Booth probably raised Parker with his same beliefs about creation. She snapped her mouth shut and watched the chimp play, only mildly shocked when Booth's arm came around her and he leaned in.

"Thanks for shutting up," he told her, earning him an elbow in the ribs. When Parker had seen enough of the apes, he held his arms up for Booth to lift him into his arms. He immediately settled down and laid his head down on his father's shoulder. Within five minutes, the boy was sound asleep.

"Listen, thanks for coming with us today," Booth told her as they made their way back through the winding paths.

"I had fun," she admitted.

"So did Parker. He was so excited this morning when I told him you were coming with us." Brennan shook her head.

"Can't imagine why," she replied. "I haven't spent any significant amount of time with him so I'm not really sure where this attachment came from." Booth just shrugged his free shoulder.

"Guess the Booth men just have good taste," he said, giving her a wink. She laughed at him and reached over to brush a stray lock of hair from Parker's face. "Seriously though, you are really great with him."

"Booth," she warned, but he held up his finger.

"Ah ah ah," he wagged it in her face. "No last names, Tempe." Rolling her eyes she led them back to the SUV and opened the door enough to allow him to get Parker into his booster seat.

"Fine then Seeley," she amended, climbing into the passenger seat. "Where are we going for lunch?"

* * *

Please let me know what you thought. 


	7. The Magic of Milton Bradley

My four year old cousin beat me at the first two board games mercilessly and without remorse. She seriously cheered like she'd won the Olympic games or something. I felt ashamed. And thus inspired.

* * *

"Thanks so much, Bones. I'll only be gone an hour or so." Booth said, ushering his partner of less than a year through the door. He dutifully ignored the fading bruises on her face, souvenirs of her time spent (and subsequently forgotten) in New Orleans. She shrugged off her jacket, hanging it on the rack next to the door. She followed him through the foyer into the living room, where four-year old Parker was sitting in front of the television watching a yellow animated sponge romp around the ocean floor. 

"Parker, Tempe's going to watch you for a while," he said, and Brennan started. She'd never heard him call her that before; it was mostly "Bones" or, in solemn cases, "Temperance." Parker nodded and waved, smiling at her before turning back to the screen.

"He'll pretty much stay there," Booth told her. "He just ate, so he won't be hungry. You know my cell, and I wrote Rebecca's cell on the pad next to the phone just in case, along with the number to his pediatrician." She nodded, not really sure of what to do in this situation. He sensed her awkwardness and smiled softly at her. "You'll be fine; I've seen you take on a lot more than this."

"I'm just…" she struggled for the right words, "…not very good with children."

"You'll be fine," he repeated, patting her on the back. "Call me if you need anything. Feel free to raid the kitchen if you're hungry. Bye Parker." He moved over and kissed his son on the head before smiling at Brennan and walking out the door. She made sure it was locked behind her before she moved back to the living room.

Parker was sitting cross-legged on the floor, so she took up residence on the sofa, watching the antics of Spongebob with the preschooler. Many times she stopped herself from pointing out inconsistencies and accepted the fact that it was a show designed for the intelligence of young children. Looking around, she noticed Booth's bookshelf and moved over to inspect it. She was surprised to find a copy of her book on the top shelf, next to a few crime novels and books for Parker. The bottom shelf was reference books, including an encyclopedia set and a few law books. She was about to pull a John Grisham hardback from its place when she felt Parker's presence next to her.

"Tempe," he said, trying out the name. "Daddy says you work together."

"That's right," she confirmed, seeing the resemblance between father and son in his features as he thought.

"Will you play Candyland with me?" he asked, completely switching gears. When she'd caught up with his train of thought she furrowed her brow. She remembered the game from her childhood, though admittedly it had been many years since she'd even thought about it.

"I'm not sure, Parker," she said, but instantly regretted it. The boy's lower lip jutted out slightly and his eyes seemed to grow bigger.

"Please?" he begged. "I'll even let you be blue," he said as if it was a big concession. He grabbed her hand with both of his smaller ones and tugged her over behind the couch. She stood there helplessly as the boy opened a trunk, digging through it before exclaiming in triumph. He pulled out a beat up version of a board game Brennan had not seen in a long time. He sprawled on the floor and laid the board out, collecting the cards and arranging them in one face down stack.

Brennan lowered herself to the floor next to the boy, watching him set the game up. She took the stack of cards from him as he grabbed the blue and red pieces.

"Okay, you can be blue and I'll be red okay?" She smiled at the boy as she set the stack of cards between them. He drew the first one, turning it over to reveal two blue squares.

"Two blue!" he cried out, moving his red piece to the second blue square. "Your turn." Brennan drew her first card reluctantly, revealing her first move. Parker saw her blank stare and giggled. "You're s'posed to move to the orange," he said, putting his little finger on the first orange square. She picked up her blue piece and set it down next to his finger methodically.

As the game continued, memories flooded back to her from her childhood. Russ had played this game with her when she was only three, but she remembered it like it was yesterday. Watching Parker smile widely as he pulled away from her on the board made her chest constrict, longing for his child-like innocence. She knew now, as an adult, that the game was merely one of chance – what order the cards were in determined the winner. But each time she got stuck on a dotted square, or he had to go back to a character's spot by order of the card, he let out a squeal or a giggle that lightened her heart.

In the end he won by drawing a blue, and she laughed at his victory dance (no doubt inspired by a few football games watched with his dad). She held up her hand and he high-fived it, laughing in triumph. She collected the discarded cards, packing them all away under the board in the old box. Parker replaced it and pulled another out, causing Brennan to shake her head with wonder.

"Where did you get all these games?" she asked him as she pulled out the Chutes and Ladders board.

"Daddy," he said simply. "Some of them are his and Uncle Jared's from when they were kids." He grabbed the die and rolled it across the board. The game came back quickly to Brennan, and she soon found herself near the top (thanks to landing on two consecutive ladder squares) and Parker was firmly on the second row. Of course, as with Candyland, Chutes and Ladders was purely a game of chance. She landed on the 87, and found herself tumbling down the chute there to 24. Parker, on the other hand, displayed an inordinate amount of luck and landed on 28, sending him up the largest letter to 84.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. She couldn't resist reaching out and tickling his stomach, causing his hands to drop as he laughed childishly. "I'm winning!" he boasted, bouncing from his sitting position.

"Okay, I give," she conceded. "You win." She sat back and watched him do his victory dance again, laughing at his antics.

"Wanna play another?" he asked after he'd stashed the game on top of Candyland. He pulled out another classic game, and she shook her head ruefully.

"I can't believe you have that game," she told him, taking the large box from his hands.

"It's Dad's favorite," Parker told her.

"I can't imagine why," was her sarcastic reply, but she quickly realized Parker wouldn't get it.

"Well, let's set it up," she told him, happy to have found something to occupy him that wasn't too difficult. He pulled the large plastic set from the board as Brennan collected all the white marbles.

"Okay, which hippo do you want?" he asked seriously.

"I guess I'll take Homer," she said, spinning the board around so she was behind the green hippo. Once everything was set up, Brennan released the marbles and the house was filled with the cacophony of each of them slapping down on their levers causing their hippos to surge out and grab as many marbles as possible. Brennan waited for a lot of marbles to congregate in front of her hippo before slapping down hard and collecting as many as she could. Parker, on the other hand, was just banging down repeatedly on his lever with no apparent rhythm, his laughs mixing with his hippo's noisy chomps.

By the end of five minutes all the marbles were off the board and they each counted their collection. Brennan had won by two, and Parker high-fived her and challenged her to another game.

Somewhere, in all the noise of the second game, Booth entered his home quietly and stood behind the wall out of view, watching his partner and son enjoying their game. He didn't think he'd ever seen such a care-free expression on her face before, and he silently thanked his mother for sending his old games for Parker.

The boy won the second game by quite a large margin, though Booth suspected from Brennan's over-enthusiastic congratulations that she'd let the boy win. Parker, of course, cited his many wins over his dad as the reason he was so good, and Brennan laughed as she agreed.

Parker was about to pull out yet another Milton Bradley classic when he spotted his father in the foyer. "Daddy!" he cried, leaving the trunk open and sprinting toward the man. Booth caught the boy mid-leap and ruffled his hair.

"Were you good for Tempe?" he asked seriously.

"Yes Daddy! We played Candyland, and Chutes and Ladders, and Hungry Hungry Hippos twice! I won all of them Daddy, 'cept the first one! And Tempe says she played them when she was a kid just like you. Wanna play with us?" He tugged on his father's arm so Booth was now standing behind the couch next to Brennan as his son rifled through the chest.

"I hope he wasn't too much trouble," he told her as Parker pulled out Twister. "Parker, I don't think so buddy. We have to let Bones get home. Thank her for watching you then go make sure your things are packed to take back to Mom's," he instructed his son, not at all surprised when the boy raced over and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thanks for playing with me, Tempe," he said into her blouse. She squeezed him back briefly with one arm and smiled.

"No problem, Parker. I had fun." He smiled up at her and ran out of the room. Booth walked her to the door and opened it.

"Thanks again, Bones. I owe you lunch tomorrow." She nodded and waved to him as he shut the door. As she walked to her car, she couldn't stop the smile that split her face as she thought about her own childhood, and how much fun she'd had. With Parker's giggles and bright face in her thoughts, not even her parents' disappearance and brother's abandonment could darken her mood now.

* * *

Okay, raise your hand if you want a Twister game with the squint squad (plus Booth of course). If enough people want it, I'll write it. 

Very long Christmas chapter upcoming, so lookout for that. Oh, and a completely separate B/B fluffy Christmas fic in the works that will be up before the New Year. Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you thought.

Okay, so I've got the idea for my next multi-chaptered story, it just needs a LOT of work. So now's your chance to tell me what you'd rather have. A) a story I've already completely written and post regularly at expected intervals - in which case it will take me a while to write it **or **B) a story in progress with absolutely random updates as I finish chapters - meaning varying times between them but it would start probably around the new year, maybe sooner. Please let me know. Oh, and if anyone's read _Mooncalled _or _Blood Bound_ by Patricia Briggs, let me know. I'd love to discuss a few things with you.


	8. Dogs of War

Okay this one started out totally different and morphed into its own beast. Don't you just hate it when stories write themselves? Let me know what you think. This one is in honor of Christmas. I hope everyone stays safe over the holidays.

* * *

Parker looked over the snowy embankment cautiously, his breath visible in the frigid air. The enemy was out there somewhere, and Parker knew it was only a matter of time before they came for him. He hefted his weapon, as if testing its sturdiness, and took a deep breath. _No guts no glory, right_? He quickly palmed another weapon and shook his head clear. Another deep breath and Parker knew what he had to do. He stood quickly and whirled around, immediately letting loose both weapons. Return fire began almost automatically as he darted through the trees. He heard the shouts of the opposition as they honed in on his location, but Parker kept stooping and firing back, hoping to hit someone he couldn't even see. 

He dove behind a snow bank as the shouting got closer and he took stock of his arsenal. _Not much but it'll have to do._ The voices stopped nearby, and it sounded like they didn't know exactly where he was. He could use that to his advantage. They began to split up to look for him and he waited patiently as footsteps crunching underneath the snow grew nearer. It seemed as if the person was right on top of him now, and he held his breath. As the footsteps began to retreat he jumped up and unloaded, catching the man in the back.

"What the –" the man whirled with a shock expression on his face. Parker just gave the man a cocky smirk and shrugged, collecting more snowballs as he darted off. _Dad's out,_ he grinned to himself, _leaving just Bones_. The thirteen year old crept through the wooded area behind the Hodgins Estate. Jack and Angela had been taken out early by the "unstoppable" team of Brennan and Booth while Parker had taken care of Zach. Cam was in charge of the "POW camp" located in the small garden house complete with blankets and hot chocolate. Parker smiled as he thought about surrendering for a cup of Cam's famous New York style cocoa, but quickly shook the idea off. His father would never let him live it down if he surrendered to Bones, so he hefted a few more snowballs into his arms and continued his hunt.

He'd heard her footsteps move off toward the house as she searched for him, so he knew she was ahead of him somewhere. He looked around on the ground and found her footprints quickly. Their spacing told Parker she was moving slowly so he froze for a moment, trying to discern her location. He heard a few birds chirping as they nested for the winter, trying to keep warm. He stilled his own breathing as he tried to implement the techniques his father had taught him, extending his senses. _There_… he heard the twig snap from somewhere to his right and he crouched quickly.

Looking at the large snow covered bush to his right, he suddenly had an idea. He shook the bush quickly, knowing it would attract her attention while simultaneously covering him in snow. Ignoring the freezing temperature he waited quietly as Bones crept over to investigate. He stifled his snicker as she sighed in exasperation, unable to locate the teen. When she was right next to him he reached out and grabbed her ankle. He pulled quickly, knowing her training would kick in and keep her from being hurt during the fall. He leapt up and began pelting her prone form with snowballs until she was laughing so hard the snow was building in her mouth.

"I give!" she screamed and Parker jumped up and down.

"I win!" he hollered, his face split in a grin. He reached down a hand to pull her to her feet.

"Let's go get some of that cocoa," she said, rubbing her hands up and down his arms. "I can't believe you buried yourself in snow; you're father's going to be mad."

"Nah," he said. "Actually, did you know that up in Alaska, sled dogs bury themselves in snow to keep warm?" She feigned shock.

"Really?" she asked. His recent obsession was sled dogs after his English teacher had made them read Call of the Wild, and she knew the boy had been pestering Booth to get one for over a year despite the fact that D.C. only got snow one or two months out of the year. She led him across the lawn to the waiting warmth of the garden house. The others were standing outside anxiously awaiting the results of their snowball war. As they neared, Parker broke into a run.

"I won Dad!" Brennan laughed at the torn expression on her partner's face. She knew he was happy that his son had won the battle but a small part of him always wanted to win. Angela and Jack were grinning from ear to ear, though she suspected that the flush in their cheeks was not just from the biting cold. Parker had jumped into his dad's arms and Booth was thankful for his upper body workouts as he hugged his growing son.

"Good job, Parker!" he congratulated. "I can't believe you took out our entire team by yourself."

"He did, didn't he?" Jack responded. "I guess Angie and I weren't a lot of help."

"It's okay, Uncle Jack," Parker said, meeting the man in a high five. "I've got your back."

"Okay everyone, let's get these two out of the cold," Cam's voice rang from behind them and they turned to see her holding a tray full of mugs. Parker dashed over and grabbed the largest one, sipping the steaming cocoa. Booth grabbed two and handed one to Brennan, who took it gratefully and warmed her hands.

"How did he get you?" Booth leaned in.

"Well," she said, a little wary at ratting the teen out. "He got the jump on me," she told him. "I think you've taught him too many Ranger tricks," she said, pushing against him playfully.

"Dad can we open presents now?" Parker bounded over. Booth laughed at his son's enthusiasm and pulled the boy against his side.

"Parker you know the drill. We don't do presents till after dinner."

"Come on, please?" Parker pouted a little, turning on every ounce of Booth charm against his father.

"Is that what it looks like?" Booth whispered loudly to Brennan, who just laughed and nodded. Booth turned back to his son and pretended to think really hard. Over the years, he and Rebecca had come to an agreement where they traded off holidays every year. She'd gotten him for the week of Thanksgiving so he got Parker the week of Christmas.

"I suppose," he acquiesced, "But then dinner and a quick nap before midnight mass."

"Yes!" Parker pumped his fist in the air and took off toward the house at a run. The adults followed a leisurely pace, and Parker was already under the tree by the time they had discarded their outer snow gear.

"Kids! Presents!" Hodgins shouted, and there was a bounding on the stairs and screaming. Two blurs of red and green shot past the group toward the tree, followed by a barely-pregnant blonde.

"They are a bundle of energy," she told Hodgins, and Zach came over to wrap his wife in a quick hug. She had been a doctoral candidate in the authentication department and they'd met during the Widow's Son case. Once that fiasco had concluded, Zach's attention had suddenly found itself shifted to the attractive, if somewhat shy, blonde. It had actually been Booth that had pushed them both together, and Zach was eternally grateful.

"Better get used to it," he said matter-of-factly, laying his hand on the small bump.

"Settle down," Angela's stern voice floated from the sitting room, and they joined their friends as a Santa-hat clad Parker began passing out gifts to everyone. Brennan perched herself on the chair Booth was in and Hodgins and Angela joined their twin six-year old boys on the couch. Zach sat on the floor next to his wife's chair and Cam decided to lay out on the rug in front of the fire. Soon Parker Santa had all the presents passed out and Angela nudged her brood.

"Alright, you two, pick one a tear it up," she said, watching as they each grabbed a random gift and ripped the paper off. Lee had grabbed Zach's gift and was holding a giant plastic microscope complete with "slides." Will had torn Brennan's gift wide open and was now hugging a giant plushy skeleton to his body.

"Thanks!" they chorused, thoroughly engrossed in their latest gifts. Brennan laughed and turned to her honorary step-son.

"Youngest to oldest, Park," she said.

He made a show out of choosing his first Christmas present of the year, but everyone knew which he'd pick. Every year since they started this tradition Parker always opened Brennan's first. He reached for the large (and heavy, he noted) package and began tearing through the wrapping. Brennan shifted nervously from foot to foot; she still wasn't very experienced at the whole gift-giving thing, but seven years had gotten her used to the anticipation somewhat.

This year was different, however. This year, they'd all gotten him gifts that would go with his big "Santa" gift. Hers was just the first, but she knew the boy would figure it out well before Santa actually came.

"Wow," he breathed as he lifted the leather reins, complete with jingling bells, from the layers of fabric. His face morphed to one of confusion as he looked up at his father's partner. "I don't –"

"You will," she told him cryptically. As he continued tearing wrapping off, he realized the fabric was actually a full length winter cloak, complete with clasp and hood. The deep maroon fabric was lined with a thin strip of fur (faux of course) and lined on the inside to keep the boy warm.

"This is so cool," he told her, holding up the cloak for others to see. As he stood to try it on, all eyes turned to Zach. Zach picked his smallest present and carefully opened it, his eyes focused on his task. Once all the wrapping was removed he set about cutting the tape holding the lid on the small box. As he lifted it up, a happy but confused smile graced his features.

"What…" he lifted a small set of keys out.

"It's about time you stopped hitching a ride to work with your wife, don't you think?" Hodgins teased the man. Even at 32, though, Zach had a boyish quality in his smile and he nodded. "Now those keys are purely symbolic," the man added. "You have your pick of any car you want, though I wouldn't put a minivan out of the running."

"Thank you," he responded sincerely. Emma was next and she pulled a few baby blankets from a small package from Angela.

"You'll need plenty of those, I promise," Angela told the younger woman.

"Thank you Angela." The artist just smiled and pulled a long thin package from her pile

"Me next!" she said, tearing the paper off quickly. Unrolling the paper she saw a large wall-sized print of her favorite painting, _The Lantern_. "Oh I love it, Bren, thank you," she breathed.

"You're welcome."

"I know just where to put this, Jack," she said to her husband. He just nodded and smiled at her enthusiasm before turning to Brennan.

"You're turn, Doc," he told her. She lifted Parker's gift from her pile, shooting him a small smile at his wrapping job. She, too, carefully lifted the tape and peeled the paper off, causing both Booth men to groan in frustration.

"Tempe, come on!" Parker said impatiently.

"Yeah, Bones, we're not saving the paper. Rip it off!" She laughed at both of them, taking her time now to annoy them more than anything. She pulled the small jewelry box from the paper and opened it carefully. The oval locket was antique but in wonderful condition. Carefully she opened it and saw the two most important people in the world staring back at her.

"Thank you Parker," she said, smiling warmly at him but keeping the tears at bay.

"Dad helped with the pictures," the boy said quickly.

"It was all your idea, buddy," he shot back, happy at his girlfriend's reaction. "My turn!" He grabbed for a present, not really caring which one he got. He tore off the red paper and smiled at the plaque.

"Seeley Booth, keeper of the Squint Squad," he read, grinning idiotically. "Thanks Cam."

"You're welcome, Seeley. I guess that means it's me," she said, shooting Jack an impish smile. He'd been perturbed at their first meeting to realize he was the oldest one there, though he only had Cam by about two months, who only beat Booth by about three.

"It's beautiful, thank you boys," she praised, holding up the crudely drawn picture of the entire Jeffersonian team standing in front of what she thought was their lab but looked more like the Taj Mahal.

"Mom helped," Will said, still holding his plushy skeleton. Lee nodded vigorously, though he had enlisted his father's help in setting up the toy microscope on the couch. Jack paused long enough to grab his boss' gift and tear it open.

"'For the man who has everything else,'" he read on the inscription. "'Thank you for all your hard work.' Thanks Doc," he looked up from the bronzed microscope at Brennan. "Has it really been fifteen years?"

"Yes it has," Brennan replied, just as happy. "Wouldn't change a day," she added.

"Except for that whole trapped in car thing," he joked, earning him half-hearted smiles all around. Even eight years after the fact, the Gravedigger still hung over their heads, though he'd never resurfaced since Booth had pulled them from the quarry.

"Moving on," Cam said, pushing past the somewhat awkward moment.

"That's you guys," Jack said, looking at his sons.

"Yay!" they shouted, grabbing another gift from their respective piles. Will opened a toy microscope just like Lee's and Lee got a cops and robbers set from Booth. "Thank you!" they intoned again.

"Me next!" Parker shouted, grabbing Zach's gift from the pile. He tore it open and stared at the clothes box, torn between not wanting more clothes than his mother was sure to get him and wanting to see what Zach had picked out. _Oh, and not being rude_, he finished in his mind. Opening the white box carefully he stared lovingly at the musher's cap. He fingered the fur carefully and lifted the cap from the box.

"It's great, Uncle Zach, thank you. You too, Aunt Emma."

"You're welcome, honey," Emma replied lovingly. They went around again, though it was increasingly more difficult for the twins to focus and wait their turn. Finally it came around to them again and everyone just agreed to let them tear into their remaining gifts, effectively occupying them for the rest of the night.

"Go ahead Parker," Booth encouraged. Parker tore open the package from Cam and smiled widely.

"Oh man," the boy exclaimed. "This can't mean what I think it means!" he crowed, jumping up. He pulled the small dog harness and leash out of the package and held them up high. "Dad! Does this mean –?"

"No idea Parker," Booth played innocent. "Though Jack and Angela haven't given you their gift yet."

"It's outside," Jack said, pulling his sons up to stand beside him.

"Let's go!" Parker grabbed Jack's hand and began pulling.

"Ease up Parker," Booth laughed as all the adults stood and followed them outside. They heard, rather than saw, the moment Parker saw his gift. He let out a whoop that carried across the estate as Jack unveiled his very own sled. It wasn't large, but it was big enough for him. He inspected every curve and runner, gliding his hands over it lovingly.

"This is…it's beautiful. Thanks Uncle Jack, Aunt Angie."

"There's just one thing missing," he heard his father's voice behind him and turned around. Booth pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal the most beautiful Siberian husky puppy Parker had ever seen.

"Dad!" Parker cried, running over.

"He's all yours son," the man replied, handing the dog over to his new owner. The puppy yipped once and started licking Parker's face as the boy held him close to his chest. His chest, legs, and face were white, save for the two black strips that covered his eyes and connected to the black fur that covered the top of his head and his back. Parker laughed as he noticed the dog's eyes were mismatched – one blue and one brown. He pointed it out to his dad who just shrugged.

"The guy at the store said it was a common trait among purebred huskies." Suddenly, the twins came squealing out of the house right toward Parker.

"What are you going to name him?"

"Can I hold him?"

"Daddy can I have a puppy?"

"Me, too! I want one too!" Jack picked up his nearest son and shot a good-natured glare at Booth.

"Thanks, man."

"No problem," Booth smiled back. "So Parker, any names come to mind?"

"Not yet," the boy replied. "But I'm sure it'll come to me." He carried the ball of fluff back inside and held on to him as he tried to sniff at everything. Brennan stepped up beside him as they returned to the den.

"You know, Park, in some societies the naming of sled dogs is a serious ceremony conducted by the leader of the community. Each name is said to represent one of the honored virtues of a sled dog: endurance, fidelity, and intelligence."

"Wow, Bones, you _do_ know everything," Booth said teasingly as he sidled up to his family. Parker laughed and rolled his eyes as she jutted an elbow into his ribs playfully.

"I'm an anthropologist," she shot back. "It's my job to know these things." Parker looked back down at his puppy and remembered something he'd read in a book.

"Did you know that the course of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race is actually a trail used to get medicine from Nenana to Nome, Alaska?" Parker looked at his father knowingly as Brennan nodded.

"Hey, I saw _Balto_, too," Booth interjected. Parker smirked at his father.

"Yeah, but did you know that the longest and most dangerous part of the journey wasn't done by Balto? Leonard Seppala and his dog Togo carried the antitoxin almost twice the distance of any other team on the run, and through worse conditions. Balto got all the recognition because he was the one who got the medicine into Nome, but it was really the work of twenty different sledding teams."

"Really?" Brennan replied, pleasantly surprised that Parker had actually done a lot of research.

"Yeah." He looked down at the unusually-tranquil puppy in his arms and buried his nose in the creature's fur. "He's perfect, thank you. I'm gonna name him Buck, just like in Call of the Wild."

"Buck, huh?" Booth said, looking at the dog. "Suits him, Park." The adults and Parker went back to the den to finish up with the presents while a motherly woman took the twins and their new toys upstairs to play until dinner. Parker ignored the adults as he fastened Buck's harness and let him explore. When he started sniffing around, Booth had to explain to Parker what he was doing and Parker jumped up quickly and took the dog outside. He watched Buck leap around in the snow, laughing a few times as he seemingly disappeared beneath it only to bound out of it in a flurry of white. They played and wrestled a bit before his dad called him in for dinner. As Buck slept in the corner, Parker ate with his family in happy silence, thankful to have such wonderful people in his life.

Later that night, after mass had concluded and Parker was snuggled into his own bed with Buck, he felt his father kiss his forehead as Bones tugged the blankets up tighter around him. He heard them faintly whisper their merry Christmases before they shut the door quietly, too soon to hear his soft sleep-filled reply.

* * *

How could I possibly make Parker any cuter, you ask? Why add a puppy of course! 

Also, I hear DC doesn't actually GET snow, but for the purpose of my story I take artistic license with Mother Nature. (ducks incoming hurricane). Oh, and bonus points for anyone who can properly identify the sources for the names of the Hodgins twins.

I want to take this time to wish everyone a joyous and happy holiday. Whether you celebrate Christmas, or Chanukah, or Kwanzaa, or even nothing at all, my well wishes and tidings are the same and I hope everyone stays safe and happy during the holiday season. And remember, reviews are the best present I could get, so please remember to stuff my stocking!


	9. Sleepless in DC

Well here's another short installment in "A Day with Parker". This is just something that popped into my head while working on my next fic, and I decided to add it here. As always, please read and review, let me know what you think. Cheers

* * *

_May 2011_

"Bones?" a small voice sounded in her ear, waking her almost instantly. She opened her eyes and looked at the nine year old standing in front of her.

"Parker? What is it? Is everything okay?" She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"I want some water," he said in a meek tone. She realized she hadn't been asleep for ten minutes yet and smiled softly at the boy as she stood up.

"Sure." She led the boy out of her room and into the kitchen. Booth had been sent on an undercover assignment two months ago and, per orders, she hadn't heard from him since. When Brent and Rebecca had gotten engaged, Brennan had agreed to keep Parker for the weekend while they celebrated. The boy had been ecstatic at spending a weekend with Bones, but she could tell he still missed his father.

"Here you go," she said as she handed him a small plastic cup filled with filtered water from the fridge. He smiled at her and let her take him back to the guest room. She watched as he drank half the contents and set the cup on the nightstand before climbing back into the bed.

"Night Bones," he said, and she responded before pulling his door to. Before she even made it to her bed, she heard her name being called again. Padding back over, she pushed the door open slowly.

"Yes Parker?"

"Could you tell me a story? I can't sleep," he was sitting up in bed, and she sighed.

"I suppose," she replied as she sat on the edge of his bed and thought for a moment. "What story should I tell?" She didn't remember a lot from her childhood, and she hoped he would pick one she knew.

"Tell me the one about the billy goats," he asked politely, and she smiled.

"That was one of my brother's favorites," she admitted, "but I don't really remember all of it." Parker leaned over, switched on the lamp, and pulled a book from the shelf below his nightstand. She grabbed it and thumbed through the book of tales before coming to the Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. She smiled at the boy as he settled down for his story. Half way through, Brennan furrowed her brow.

"Okay, that's not how I remember it," she mumbled, but continued on through the ending. But when the eldest Billy Goat Gruff butted the troll with his horns into the river she shut the book. "This is incorrect," she told Parker, and the boy looked confused.

"What do you mean, Bones? This is the book of tales Nana gave me for Christmas." Brennan opened her mouth to retort, but as she played over the tale's original ending in her mind, she heard a voice that sounded a lot like her partner chiding her for her tactlessness. _That's not a good ending for a nine year old, Bones._

"Well then," she forced a smile, "this is probably right. To sleep now," she ordered, and turned the table lamp off.

"Night Bones," the boy yawned and Temperance heaved a sigh of relief as he seemed to drift off. She tucked the covers up and left him alone, returning to the warmth of her own bed. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Bones?" she opened her eyes quickly and looked at the frightened young boy at the foot of her bed. "There was a noise," he said simply. Brennan held back a groan and stood up again, following the boy to the source of this "noise." When he pointed to the kitchen, she turned the light on and showed him the empty room.

"Probably just the downstairs neighbors," she told him. "Your dad lives on the ground floor, remember? You're just not used to it. Now back to bed, it's late." _Or early_, she noted as Parker clambered back under his covers. She pulled his door to once more and snuggled down into her sheets in peace.

"Bones?" this time her eyes snapped open to berate Parker for waking her again, but the chastisement died on her lips as she saw the boy's eyes filled with tears.

"What's the matter, Parker?" she sat up and wasn't at all surprised when he climbed into her bed.

"I had a bad dream," he said simply. She pulled the covers back as he got settled. She knew there would be no convincing him to go back to his own bed; he was too much like his father for that.

"What was your dream about?" she asked as he squirmed down into the large queen size bed. His soft brown eyes met hers and she saw the unshed tears he held back.

"I dreamed Daddy wasn't coming back," he said in a small voice, and she ignored the hitch in her own chest. Recalling a long ago memory from her childhood, Brennan reached out and ran her fingers through the boy's mop of blonde hair. Her heart broke for the pain in his eyes, but she knew Booth was going to be okay.

"Parker, your father is the strongest man I know, and I just bet he's counting the days till he gets to come home to you." Parker yawned and closed his eyes as he mumbled sleepily.

"And you too, Bones, cause Daddy loves you." She smiled at the boy and smoothed his hair down before laying down.

"Get some sleep now," she told him. "Your dad will be home before you know it." She, too, closed her eyes, thankful for the remaining four hours until her alarm sounded.

Some time later her eyes snapped open. She strained her ears for any sound that would have woken her, but there were none other than the normal sounds of her apartment. She stretched and turned to look at the boy sleeping peacefully beside her. His nightmares from earlier seemed far away, and she noted in the dim light from the moon outside that he did look a lot like her partner. She smiled to herself and, as her head turned to check the time, her heart froze.

There, in the doorway left open by Parker's earlier entrance, was the outline of a man. He wasn't moving, and Brennan realized she wouldn't have even seen him if it weren't for the faint glow of Parker's night light from the guest room. He made no indication that he knew she'd noticed him so, feigning a sleepy stretch, she fingered the baseball bat she kept by her bed. If this man had harmful intentions, he wouldn't lay a finger on Parker.

But something made her take a second look at the man, and she realized with a start that she recognized the silhouette. And in the darkness of her bedroom, she felt her heart start beating again.

"Booth?" she whispered, and he took a step forward.

"I didn't mean to wake you Temperance," he returned just as quietly. "I just…I needed to see…" and his eyes fell on the lump of a person under the covers next to her. Now that he'd moved into the moonlight, she saw the shadows beneath his eyes and his unkempt appearance. She also saw the hardened expression that took over his face.

"I'm sorry Bones, I didn't mean to…I mean I didn't know you had company. I'll go. Call me tomorrow," and as he took a step toward the door she shot her hand to stop him.

"Wait, let me wake him."

"No," he seemed horrified, "You don't have to -" but she was already reaching for her companion's shoulder and she shook gently.

"Hey," she whispered with a tenderness he hadn't heard from her in a while. "Someone to see you." Booth heard the disgruntled moan of someone being woken up well before he was ready, and he realized with a jolt that he recognized that moan.

"Parker?" he whispered incredulously. "Why? How?" Brennan smiled softly as she once again shook the boy.

"Whazzit?" he mumbled, and Brennan merely pointed to the door. Parker turned his head and his eyes opened wide. With a flurry of covers the boy was up and in his father's arms in a matter of seconds.

"Dad!" Booth laughed and hugged his son to his chest.

"What are you doing here Parker?"

"Mom and Brent got engaged," he said matter-of-factly, "So Bones said I could stay here for the weekend while they went out." Booth looked up at his partner of nearly six years and smiled his thanks.

"He had a bad dream," she added, "So my bed got invaded." Booth looked back down at the boy who was quickly losing his steam and falling asleep on his shoulder.

"Bad dream?"

"He thought you weren't coming back," she clarified, and Booth hugged Parker tighter. He dropped a kiss onto the boy's head, smoothing back his hair in an unintentional mimic of Brennan earlier. His intense stare met with hers and for a moment terror seized her.

"There was a moment…" but he trailed off, knowing that wasn't a discussion for Parker to overhear. "Was he in the guest room?" he turned quickly, ignoring Brennan's questioning look. "I'll take him back."

"He's fine, really," she said, standing up herself. "You and he should stay here, I'll go take the guest room. It's a smaller bed." Booth laid the boy back down, but grabbed Brennan's arm quickly as she tried to escape.

"Thank you Temperance, it means a lot to me." She saw the haunted expression he held, and she knew that tomorrow would hold some horrific moments for them. But for tonight she was content to let father and son get reacquainted. She nodded and leaned in to him for a brief hug.

"Welcome home, Booth." She exited then, leaving Booth to gaze down at his son lying in his partner's bed. As he pulled off his jacket and shoes and laid down next to Parker, he took in his surroundings and heaved a deep, satisfied sigh.

_Home_.

* * *

I swear Parker gets cuter and cuter every season. I hope they include more of him this season. Please R&R as it feeds my creative spirit to know there are people out there actually reading and enjoying.


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